Western Brown’s Bailie Darnall shoots over a Wilmington defender  in the Lady Broncos’ season opener, Nov. 29.
Western Brown’s Bailie Darnall shoots over a Wilmington defender in the Lady Broncos’ season opener, Nov. 29.

By Wade Linville –

The 2016-17 court campaign got underway for the Western Brown Lady Broncos on Tuesday, Nov. 29, as they played host to a very skilled squad from Wilmington High School for a non-league contest.
The Lady Broncos started off the game on a 5-0 run, but then it was Wilmington answering with a 5-0 run to tie the game early on.
Wilmington then took a 7-5 lead with a field goal from sophomore guard Mya Jackson, but Western Brown senior Bailie Darnall would sink a bucket down low to tie the game at seven apiece.
A field two-point field goal by Wilmington’s freshman guard Jasmine Jamiel left the Lady Broncos trailing 9-7, and then it was a three-pointer by Jackson that lifted Wilmington to a 12-7 lead with just over a minute to go in the first period.
The Lady Hurricanes ended the first quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 17-7 lead and never looked back.
Backed by a quick and aggressive defense, the Hurricanes made offensive execution difficult on the Lady Broncos while Jackson and Jamiel put together impressive offensive performances. By halftime break the Hurricanes had risen to a commanding 42-13 lead with Jackson racking up 19 points in the first half and Jamiel finishing the first half with eight points.
The Lady Broncos returned from halftime break to outscore the Hurricanes 11-9 in the third period with Darnall racking up seven points in the quarter, but  it was Wilmington still holding a comfortable 51-24 lead entering the final frame.
The Lady Broncos went on to outscore the Hurricanes 13-12 in the fourth period with scores coming from Western Brown’s Emily Cooper, Cana Kleemeyer, Maddy Whisman, Rylie Young, Darnall, and Gracie Fischer.
Leading the Lady Broncos in scoring was Darnall with 11 points. Whisman finished with eight points, while Western junior Tessa Pinkerton ended the night with seven points.
Leading all scorers was Jackson with 24 points.
The Lady Broncos struggled from the charity stripe, connecting on only seven-of-23 free throw attempts.
The Lady Broncos were scheduled to be back in action Dec. 1 as they ventured to Williamsburg High School for a non-league game against the Lady Wildcats. The Lady Broncos return to their home court Monday, Dec. 5 to host Clinton Massie for a non-league contest.

WHS    17  25   9  12 – 63
WBHS   7    6  11  13 – 37

Wilmington (63): Jackson 10 2-7 24, J. Jamiel 3 0-0 8, Quallen 2 0-0 4, Harris 1 0-0 2, K. Jamiel 2 0-1 4, Edingfield 1 3-4 5, Stewart 1 0-0 2, Frisco 4 0-2 8, McCord 2 0-0 4, Morgan 1 0-0 2. Three-pointers: J. Jamiel 2, Jackson 2. Team: 27 5-14 63.

Western Brown (37): Darnall 5 1-5 11, Whisman 3 1-5 8, Pinkerton 2 3-7 7, Cooper 1 0-0 2, Kleemeyer 1 2-2 5, Young 1 0-0 2, Fischer 1 0-0 2. Three-pointers: Kleemeyer 1, Whisman 1. Team: 14 7-23 37.